WARNING CONTAINS SMUT
Emma scrubbed frantically as she heard the front door to the mansion snap shut. Swearing under her breath, she rinsed out the cloth again, watching the purple-red water swirl down the drain as the sound of her wife's heels being kicked off reached her ears. She dropped back to her knees and resumed her cleaning just as the handbag landed on the hall table. By the time Regina stood in the doorway, Emma was pushing a strand of frazzled hair from her face and looking up guiltily.
"I'm sorry," Emma said at once. "It was an accident. I just dropped the bottle."
Regina raised an eyebrow as she surveyed the scene before her. Red wine was spattered all over the wooden floorboards, droplets covering the previously white kitchen units. Emma was holding a stained cloth in her hand, her eyes wide with guilt. Regina couldn't help but fall a little bit more in love with her at that moment.
"Are you hurt?" she asked, looking around for the broken bottle.
Emma shook her head and pointed to a dustpan where the shards had been piled on the floor beside the fridge.
"Was it the chateauneuf du pape?"
"God no!" Emma exclaimed. "I know I'm far too clumsy to ever touch those bottles. It was the cabernet you brought a case of last month. I was about to put a bit in the stew." She gestured towards the cooker where a large pot was bubbling away merrily.
Regina walked carefully across the room, keeping an eye out for any glass shards Emma may have missed and crouched down in front of her wife. She took the cloth from her hand and tossed it onto the counter.
"Thank you for cooking dinner," Regina said in a soft, loving voice. "I've had a really long day at work so I'm grateful I now don't have to cook." Emma smiled at the compliment. She loved making Regina happy. "But," Emma swallowed, "you have made quite a mess down here, my dear. So what I would like you to do is finish cleaning this up spillage and then you're going to meet me in our playroom."
Emma bit her lip. "For what?"
Regina cocked her head. "Well, you've got me in rather a predicament here," she admitted. "Because I would love to punish you for this mess," she trailed her finger through a red drip snaking its way down the cupboard and licking the tart liquid from the tip, "but the fact that you're making dinner deserves a reward. So I'll leave it up to you. What would you like? Punishment or reward?"
Emma swallowed thickly, her eyes darkening at the thought of either scenario. The two women had introduced playing into their relationship very early on and for their first wedding anniversary, Regina had surprised Emma by magically transforming the basement into a playroom. Now their toys and equipment were all stored neatly below their home, behind a door invisible to everyone but them. They ventured down there about once a week, usually at Regina's behest. She would find something Emma did in their everyday life which she felt deserved either punishment or reward. But Emma rarely got a choice. This was an unusual luxury. She knew she needed to choose wisely.
"Punish me, please," she whispered.
Regina grinned and leaned forwards to kiss Emma's lips quickly before she stood up.
"I shall expect your presence in fifteen minutes," she said, her controlled, playroom voice already in place. "And you're to make sure this kitchen is spotless before you come down. Put the stew on a low heat. You're going to be a while."
With that she swept from the room. Emma could hear her bare feet padding up the stairs to their bedroom where, presumably, Regina was going to remove her work clothes and dress in something sexy. Or sexier. Anything with Regina Mills inside it was sexy. Emma returned her attention to tidying up the rest of the mess. She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't hear Regina walk downstairs nor the door to the basement open and close. When she was finished, she tossed the cloth into the sink and hurried out into the hallway. A soft, red light was glowing from beneath the magically hidden door. She bit her lip in anticipation and turned the handle.
